I arrived back in Munich just in time for Showgirl brunch, which was amazing. Such a lovely social event and a great part of the festival where all the performers get together, eat, drink and mingle. I was in amazing company and enjoyed myself and the food immensely!

And directly off to the theatre we went. That’s how showgirl life is. Off to the theater, rehearsal and sound/tech check. Then into getting ready for my act at the final night of the Bavarian Burlesque festival at the Gorgeous venue – the Deutsches Theater Munchen. ❤
My last act was super fun and I was so so happy and honoured to have rocked that stage. It’s a beautiful theater and to be fair from the stage I couldn’t appreciate it because I couldn’t see past row 2 but afterwards when I got to see the second half of the show, I got to really appreciate the magic of this theater! WOW

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I loved the Bavarian Burlesque festival, both night I got to perform at, both venues. The cast was brilliant and I know the organisers and how sweet they are and how well they accommodated and treated us, how wonderfully they managed everything! It was beautiful and I am beyond happy to have been part of it!

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The day after i flew to Berlin and I didn’t actual film a thing. I was tired after little sleep and an intense few days and looked forward to my 2 nights off. I stayed with my lovely friend Lily Mortis who is always so happy to host me, and I am happy to hang out with her because she is wonderful! We went to my favourite Indian in Berlin and had dinner. Then I went out to KitKat with my Maltese friend and lovely stylist Jeandor! The next day i did some shopping and costume work, and the Lilly and I went to watch House of Presents, Pansy’s show which I love and which is amazing and which I was going to be part of in April but Covid decided otehrwise! *devastated* I had 2 great days i Berlin just chilling, eating, enjoying great company, partying and catching up on sleep big time!

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Berlin was fun and relaxing but had to get going – Hamburg calling.
In hamburg I performed at the Home of Burlesque.
I have a long history with home of Burlesque and while I am not sure if I will ever perform there again, we’ll see about that, I love that place. Hamburg and the old HoB are very important to me as that place has gotten me through a lot and Sven helped me when I was struggling. In any case, a big part of my heart will always remain in Hamburg so when I had been asked to do shows there, I obviously agreed!
On the day of arrival, found out I was sharing a flat with Trixi Tassel – perfect, she is a great friend of mine and the coolest person! We went out to our favourite Italian place in hamburg and had a lovely, hearty dinner.
The boom – time for the Halloween show at the Home of Burlesque! It was fun, the cast was amazing and we had a great time! ❤

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The following day we had a day off and I enjoyed it going out and having dinner and drink with some of the girls – Kitty, Victoria and Trixi! (watch video). That same day Trixi and I did the Reeperbahn essentials – went to Boutique Bizarre and had curry wurst!

The following day it was me and Victoria Romanova left in the flat. I love Victoria, she is such a wonderful, classy lady and I always feel like she is a big sister figure to me. The big sister I never had. I always enjoy our chats and all the fun times we’ve had together! ❤
I did some shopping and then, Victoria and I were booked to do a show which was a sort of Charity Gala at Angie’s on the Reeperbahn, that was super fun! Then we raaaan to Indra Club to make our Home of Burlesque show which we did! Was a fun, smaller cast – Fez Wrecker as host and funny music man, Vicrotia Romanova, Katrin Gajdnr, Foxy Oh as out stage kitten and yours truly.

The show was fun, I got so into my last act that actually busted my leg open and bled! But it was great. I made Victoria swear in Maltese… it was just a perfect show night and the last night before going home!

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It was a fun tour, I am so happy because I got to do a lot of completely different from each other shows. I got to perform of different stages to different crowds and enjoyed t so very much each time. I got to see lots of old friends and spent quality time with many of them. I got to meet new people and make nice connections. And finally, I got to go back to some of my favourite places and make new fantastic memories, to add to my existing ones! 🙂

Once I got back to Malta it was time to work on my Maltease show which was still coming up within a few days at the time! That was fun and a s=huge success. But more about that Another time! 🙂

Here’s the Video of part 2.
Disclosure, as the video progressed, and tour progresses, it gets messier! 😛

Thank you for reading and watching,

Until next weekend and another Shwogirl Saturday!

xxx

Undine.

2020 has not been a kind year for Artists… we are all struggling and are literally unable to do what we love. Many artists have lost their livelihood and we have most certainly all lost our medium of expression. I feel that way. I feel that without performance a very crucial part of my being cannot shine.

I haven’t had a real, live audience show since the end of February. 4 months and counting. But last year… last year before the pandemic hit, it was different. Last year was my best year so far and what I felt was the happiest time in my life to date. Honestly. It was full of shows, projects, exciting events, theatre, Burlesque…and of course Travel! I miss travelling so much too!

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Ever wondered what being a travelling showgirl might be like? Well, last year, I had a German tour, around Halloween time and I decided to film it!
I couldn’t really film much stage time but the gist of this is the Behind the scenes, the dressing rooms and the travel itself. A little bit of sightseeing but most of the time, with a super tight schedule and often little sleep, there isn’t much time for that.

My first stop was Munich, a direct flight of a few hours and bam – here I am!
Finding the venue (often a nightmare) even though this would be my 2nd or 3rd time performing on that stage at Theater Drehleier (2015 was the first, not sure about 2014).I love Munich and I was super excited to be part of the Bavarian Burlesque Festival. I love the girls who organize it – Aphrodite Devine, ChiChi Bouvet, Diva Desaster and Melody D’Amour, as well as Betty Berlin. I’ve had 3 of them perform in my shows in Malta – wonderful performers and people! I got to the theater tired – flight delay, heavy bag which I had to lug to the theater in my huge platform boots… But I was finally there, did my tech run, did my hair, make up, and the dressing room filled up with other beautiful and bubbly babes and we were set to go!

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It was an amazing night, a super fun show! We got to drink Prosecco from a can, lots of laughs were had backstage and I got to see the last part of the show, which was beautiful! WOW!  I laughed so Hard at the acts by Glory Pearl (omg brilliant), the stunning Apathy Angel (who I am lucky enough to have shared the stage 5 time with now and had her in my show in Malta), and KoKo LaDouce (you legend you!!! I’ve seen this woman 3 times now and each time she INCREDIBLE!) to name a couple! I love festivals, I love backstage fun, obviously performing but also hanging out with old friends and making new connections with like minded people! ❤

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The next day I set off to Stuttgart! It was my first time in Stuttgart and it wasn’t my last for sure, first of all because I loved performing at Corso Cabaret and being hosted, even if for a short few hours, by Fanny Di Favola, the organizer…but also because being lost and taking a while to find the venue and all, I hardly got to see any of the city itself. (but as a travelling performer, you don’t always have the time.)

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Corso Cabaret with Fanny Favola and my girl Mosty Lotus (who performed in MalTease 2019, just a few weeks after this show!), Bell LaRouge and a few other lovely performers. That was fun, I loved this show. Backstage with awesome people, the venue was cool and nicely decorated,  the crowd were so nice and fun and engaged! Afterwards we went out for a few drinks, the hosts were so so lovely, then a few hours of sleep and at 7 am I was at the bus station or a ZOB as they call it in Germany (every German bus station is a ZOB), waiting for my bus back to Munich for another night at the Bavarian Burlesque Festival but first – showgirl brunch!
On the way back answering some pre-Maltease Interviews or working on costumes (never a dull moment) and admiring actual greenery – lush, vast, green German fields, little villages, animals grazing, lakes, hills, nature as far as the eye can see! That is something I really love about traveling. We have nature here in Malta but it’s different and we don’t have plenty of it and it’s in danger – developers are always looking for a nice place to destroy for profit…. So when I travel, one of the things I love is the vastness of nature!

Here’s a video of lots of BTS moments, doing my hair and make up, traveling to Stuttgart and such! Hope you enjoy it and part 2 coming up soon with more Bavarian Burlesque festival, Berlin and Hamburg! 🙂

Thanks for reading and watching,
See you next week for this thing I am now calling Showgirl Saturdays!
Xxx

Undine.

You might have seen my post last week about my weekend getaway in Gozo with my Burlesque babe/baby Bella Stardust… well, we did too much to put 3 days all in one video and one post, so here’s Part 2!
We left off at Ritual Dive, which was my first ever scuba dive and it was so much fun! I am definitely going back for more soon! 🙂

Naturally, after all that diving, exploring and the tremendous task of getting me into a swimsuit (that was quote the workout), we were two hungry girls! Luckily, we had arrangements at il-Kcina Ghawdxija! OMG! So, the place itself is beautiful – we sat outside, with a view of Xlendi bay. We got some Rose and started relaxing! We needed it. The food… let me tell you – heavenly! For a starter we got Maltese bread (which, as my mother always says, is “dangerous for you, because you can’t stop eating it!” – can’t deny what’s true!) and three dips. Super tasty olive oil, pickled onions and a creamy garlic dip. We also got Fried Gozo cheeselets with fresh vegetables to die for. The cheese was so soft and fresh, and the vegetables perfectly seasoned. Then we moved on to the mains – pasta and the portions are HUGE! I mean… pasta overflowing. I had seafood pasta with fresh fish, prawns and mussels, which was a ten on ten in taste, presentation, everything. Bella had a vegetarian pasta – aubergine, tomato and gozo cheese, which she was very happy with. I stole a small bit and it was sooo good! 🙂

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We wanted to go out for a drink to Front Bar afterwards but we were so full of amazing food and so tired after an eventful day that we spent an hour and a half lounging around on the couch at Arzella Apartments saying how we’re gonna change and go out and then eventually faced the facts and got in bed with our books, like the good girls that we are. 

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Day 3! We got all dressed up and ready to have some scrumptious breakfast and headed to … you guessed it – Front bar, where else? Almond milk cappuccino for me, an espresso for Bella, OJ is a must…and we really wanted to try the breakfast rolls cause they sound amazing..and they are! I had a super tasty omelette, salmon and baby spinach roll, while Ms Stardust had the halloumi veggie roll which was really good…I had a taste… I am not stealing Bella’s food, promise, I am just making sure it’s fit for my Burlesque baby to eat! ;P Wonderful lazy breakfast was exactly what we needed to kickstart our day!

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And we were off to Ramla Bay! Ramla is fantastic – a beach, located at the bottom of a valley, it’s got golden / orangy red sand, it is often referred to locally as “Ramla il-Ħamra” – the Red Sandy Beach! I think it’s my favourite beach in Gozo. Bella was a totally sweetheart as she brought a rainbow umbrella to keep me from burning. I either go to the beach after ⅚, which we did not have the luxury of doing on this trip and on our last day…or I have to have maximum protection to keep me safe from the evil rays of the sun. Otherwise I will be a very unhappy lobster, with very white bits (if you know what I mean). But with the umbrella in place, lots of sunscreen, good company and a good book, I was totally happy! Bella was tanning, while I was sunscreening like a boss, the hours went by with lots of girl talk and other shenanigans! We both swam and it was perfect. I can’t express how serene and blissful I feel in and by the water, by the sea… no wonder I am “Undine”. When people ask my mother “Where are you from?”, she always says we’re mermaids.. Now you know where I get my name from. Haha

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Beach days are incredibly relaxing, but I can’t understand why they are also so tiring! We were hungry afterwards and could not pass up the opportunity to have a true Gozital speciality, tradition and gem – Maxokk bakery pizza/frita. We had the Maxokk special ftira (which is like a pizza but on a slightly thicker base.The coolest thing about it, and what makes it so special and irresistible is the Gozitan sausage and the slices of grilled potato on top! YUM! Maxokk is a must if you’re in Gozo! And once you try their pizzas and ftajjar, you will understand why!

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After all this running around and swimming and beaching and eating we were spent! But we had to get back to our island! So we packed, say Bye bye to our wonderful accommodation – Arzella Apartments! And left for the ferry. The sun was setting as we left…and what we found was a seemingly endless queue to get on the boat. We waited for over an hour and yet, I still don’t think we need a tunnel. Hands off Gozo you greedy bastards. I’d rather wait an hour each time I have to go or return, than let you get more machinery across so you can build all over our wonderful sister island. Rant over.

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So we got back pretty late. We had a wonderful time!
Thank you to first and foremost OhMyGozo for organising this trip and all the fun activities, also thank you Bella for joining me! Arzella Apartments for such beautiful accommodations – clean, comfy, aesthetically pleasing! And of course Front bar for their amazing food and drinks – such a beautiful place, the owners and staff are lovely and there might be something in the pipeline too for BAM and Front Bar! Ritual dive was a dream – I will never forget my first dive, the experience was made unforgettable by their team, our awesome instructor Alex and by Lee Jellyman who captured our dive! Il_kcina Ghawdxija for a super scrumptious dinner, light wine and a good, wholesome, carby dinner is what dream holiday nights are made of!

Watch the video for part one, there are some good old fun, scenery and beach (hello body) and 2 bloopers at the end! 😛

Thanks for reading and watching and see you next week for what I am officially now calling “Showgirl Saturdays”… you’re welcome!

Lots of love,

Undine.

Have you ever been to the beautiful island of Gozo?

As you guys know I am from the beautiful island of Malta. A little gem in the middle of the Mediterranean. But Malta isn’t just rock in the middle of the sea, it’s an archipelago (however you wanna pronounce it, I’ve heard many versions)…
Apart from Malta, Gozo, Comino, Cominotto and Filfla form part of this archipelago. And for us Maltesears, going to Gozo is often like a holiday or  getaway. So after all the stress of the last few months and quarantine and everything, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to go to Gozo for a sunny weekend?!

The trip was made possible by FawAway Chill and OhMyGozo!
No time to waste! I grabbed a beautiful babe and my Burlesque daughter Bella Stardust and we were off!

To get to Gozo one needs to get on a ferry, it’s about a 20 minute ride. Passing by the picturesque island of Comino you can see the Blue lagoon and the caves in the distance. We crossed the Gozo Channel almost at sunset, which made for some very pretty footage. (check video below)

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Gozo is chuck full of fantastic things to see – beautiful architecture, incredible beaches and more….but our destination was Xlendi.

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We spent the weekend at Arzella Apartments – comfy, clean, vast, with enough space for two ultra femmes! We had a bathroom each which was just amazing! And so many places to take photos! After we made ourselves at home at our lovely weekend abode, we needed drinks!
Just a 3 minute walk away from Arzella Apartments, there is a most delightful little place called Front Bar! It’s the loveliest place with a super cute decor, amazing drinks, live music, friendly staff…what else could you ask for?
We listened to the live music, chatted and enjoyed our evening at Front bar which was just the perfect way to unwind and start our Gozo weekend.

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After a good night’s sleep we were ready to take on Day 2!
We had a massive day ahead of us! What was the plan?
Breakfast at Front Bar and then…my first ever dive!! And I have Ritual Dive to thank for it. We also had an amazing dinner by the sea in Xlendi bay but that will be in Part 2.

We glammed up and set off. 
Breakfast at Front Bar was delicious – I had poached eggs on toast, cappuccino with almond milk (they also have coconut milk) and oj, Bella had a vegetarian English Breakfast. Front Bar have really vegetarian and vegan options and milk alternatives which is not all too common in Gozo or in Malta so that is really awesome! We loved our breakfast!

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Time to go under with Ritual Dive! Under water that is!
I cannot tell you how excited I was! OMG! My first ever dive.
How is it that I, the Sin-Sational Siren of the Mediterannean, a mermaid at heart, a Maltese Siren, had never gone diving before? Beats me. (plus childhood asthma but not attacks in YEARS, aeons even)

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Ou instructor Alex showed and explained everything to us brilliantly, so Bella and I felt ready to go! Except then it took 26 minutes to actually squeeze me and my booty into the wetsuit. The struggle was real. I cried a little. But once I was in – hallelujah!

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The facilities at Ritual Dive must definitely be the envy of the island’s diving schools. They have a huge training pool where we were trained all the safety tricks, given tips and how tos and go to try going up, down, swimming with fins and everything! So very helpful!

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And the yay – Xlendi bay, here come the Burlesque girls! Together with Alex from Ritual and Lee Jellyman from Mocean Images who took photos and videos of us, we descended into the Mediterranean.

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It was really something else. It took me a few minutes to get into the groove, but once I was into it…I was enjoying myself immensely. We followed Alex and saw so many beautiful things. We actually saw an octopus which was the highlight. Bellas was so happy she almost squeezed Alex’s hand off. We saw flying fish, bearded fireworms, swarms of little fish, rockfish, and lots of rope…which to me as a rope enthusiast was fun and amusing. Being able to enjoy the underwater world up close, marveling at its beauty was remarkable. I really want to go again and deeper, see more… In Gozo we have great visibility, we have underwater wrecks, so much to see! Just check out Mocean images if you’re intrigued! Or come try it yourself!

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Thank you so much to Ritual Dive for this unforgettable experience and Mocean Images for the footage and photos. My makeup was destroyed but my heart was happy!

And that is part one of Undine LaVerve (hey, that’s me!!) and Bella Stardust in Gozo thanks to OhMyGozo!  Watch the video here to see everything in technicolor!

Part 2 coming really really soon with more scrumptious food and the beach! YAS!

Thanks for reading and watching,
Xxx

Undine. 

Undine LaVerve: https://www.instagram.com/undinelaverve/
Bella Stardust: https://www.instagram.com/bella__star…
OhMyGozo: https://www.instagram.com/ohmygozo/
Front Bar: https://www.instagram.com/frontgozo/
Ritual Dive: https://www.instagram.com/ritualdive/
Mocean Images: https://www.instagram.com/mocean_images/

This is a letter I wrote last night to the Malta Planning Authority.

To Whom it May Concern, 

I am writing to you to express my opposition to the development of project Re: PA/09273/19 – 103, Triq Manuel Dimech, Triq Parisio Sliema – a beautiful and unique house and mature garden in the heart of Sliema that is set to be demolished and replaced by 32 lock up garages, 19 apartments, 4 penthouses and 3 offices (class 4A). 

Growing up in Sliema, I would often choose to take the road where this beautiful gate is, to walk down to the front, especially, so that I could walk past this house and look at it in wonder and feel enchanted by it. It always seemed like a magical place to me, a place of beauty and rich history. And I still believe it is.

This building is a true architectural gem, unlike any other house in Sliema, it is unique for it’s tower like belvedere at the back of the property, which would have once stood proudly above all the area, the statues and beautiful windows, it’s historical value is undeniable. And the wonderful garden around it – we have so few trees and gardens left, especially in Sliema. The PA has allowed too many beautiful buildings and trees, which are so essential for our survival and quality of life to be uprooted and destroyed – this garden is important to conserve.

This whole site is part of our Maltese heritage and should be treated as such. This site should be untouchable. This site should be restored and enjoyed by the community instead of being wiped off the face of our island, another beautiful feature which makes the island special and attractive, which makes up part of our identity as Maltese – gone without a trace. How can this be allowed? This is unthinkable to me. 

We cannot destroy and demolish anything and everything just because it can be done. We must look into every issue and proposal deeper! The fact that it can be done is not a reason. This building must be recognised as a historical building and as part of our heritage and our legacy, If we destroy everything, what will our children have to enjoy and to feel enchanted by, to marvel like I did when I was much younger? What will we have to show the future generations who come after us to teach them about our character, our history, our characteristics, our architecture, about being Maltese – a block of flats, some garages and a couple of offices, where once a true beauty of a building stood wish a lush garden surrounding it? What will tourists come to Malta for? Sure, we have the sea and the sun but I have heard returning tourists complain about the decline in greenery and increase in construction, The crane has truly become out national bird, sadly. 

The people of Sliema are glad to opposed this project proposal, the people of Malta are against it and we will be heard. Over the weekend we will start a petition and collect physical signatures which will be presented / delivered to the PA on Monday the 13th of January. The quality of life of the people living in the area is important to be taken into account – many surrounding buildings and houses rely on this garden for sunlight and clean air, a pleasant view / surroundings, since the streets of Sliema are narrow and polluted as it is, the area is in dire need of this garden.

By destroying this beautiful building and garden you will be: 
Destroying a historical site that is part of our, Maltese heritage.
Destroying art – the statues and unique architectural features of the building.
Destroying nature – a lush, mature garden. 
Reducing the quality of life of the citizens of Sliema and beyond. 
Creating more construction, dust, pollution and eventually ugly blocks of flats that we are all fed up with.Denying our children and future generations, as well as ourselves, the opportunity to behold this wondrous, beautiful treasure and marvel in it’s glory.
I am serious.

Only a culture-deprived and monstrous savage driven by greed and money (corruption much) could be able to tear down something so beautiful and important to us as a cultured and evolved society. Only a monster could demolish this property and not be sickened by their own actions. Destroying part of themselves and who they are by destroying a beautiful part of Malta. I cannot fathom such a heartless person. No amount of money could ever drive me to sell my country. So why are we selling Malta? I beg of you to stop this. This is not only about this property alone, we are losing who we are as a nation as a result of permits being given out left, right and centre to demolish national heirlooms.
Stop this greed and be Maltese. Please, listen to the people. We do not want this, And we will oppose with everything we are, as well as we can, until we are heard. 
I hope for my sake, yours and the sake of all the people who live in and love this country, that we can save this marvel.

Thank you for your attention,

Name, Address, ID.

How you can help:

Sign petition: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/community_petitions/the_people_and_the_pa__urgent_help_oppose_the_demolition_of_a_national_heirloom_of_a_buildinggarden_in_sliema

Write a complaint to the PA, let’s flood their inbox:

Re: PA/09273/19 – 103, Triq Manuel Dimech, Triq Parisio Sliema

email: representations@pa.org.mt

Oppose here: https://www.pa.org.mt/en/pacasedetails?CaseType=PA%2F09273%2F19&fbclid=IwAR1Tf8FxvCt08CVBsgYuxhiTXsh_9uoUK8KxYF82sJFZOjPIOab6JzpSdGM

Thank you! ❤️

Undine.

Ever since I started hanging out in the Maltese metal scene and started being around people who have a lot of cool tattoos, they all said to me – “once you start, you get addicted and want more and more” (tattoos obviously, DUH). Is it true, I wondered. 

I have often dreamt of getting a tattoo, or imagined what it would be like to have one. I’ve had some ideas of what I would like to get over the years but sort of happy I grew out of some, as they were cliche or something that does not suit me now. I understand myself a lot better and like to think that I know near-perfectly what my aesthetic is and what I strive for it to be! (Yas, winning)

The opportunity came up quite out of the blue. I was approached by FarAway Chill crew, who are really awesome and nice; and they asked me if I would like to be an Ambassador for MONINK, a tattoo salon in Bugibba by the lovely Monique Debattista.

Me? An Ambassador for a Tattoo salon… but I don’t have any tattoos… I am, or up to now, was a completely clean slate. But then again, I get it, it’s something different and the only work I have to show on me, is Monique’s talented and imaginative piece. I’ve always wanted a tattoo but never got around to it, so I agreed and went to MonInk and explained to Monique what I would like to get.
Something that represents where I am from wherever I go in the world, something that is me, that is dainty, delicate and femme… I told her – I want a Maltese cross but not the usual thing, I want it to reflect who I am …and by the evening I had a beautiful hand drawn design sent to me.

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The next day FarAway Crew and I were all geared up and on the way to get me INKED by Monique! Wooo!
The salon itself is actually really gorgeous! I love the interior – the chandelier, the skulls, the black walls, the art on the walls and the artists’ working stations.

When we got to it, It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it might. Some of the pain was actually nice – not sure if that’s just me or a common experience. Might be just me…
The most painful part was getting bits of the rose filled in with colour. Otherwise, it’s not that bad and totally worth it.

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Monique and her crew are super nice. The session was fun, I felt totally comfortable and the result speaks for itself!
I love the beautiful rose inside the Maltese cross that Monique designed for me. It’s so me and it’s something I know I will never regret! Plus, it’s gonna look so good when I am on Burlesque-ing on stage. Can’t wait to show it off at Malta Pride week and then on my German tour in October / November!!

Big thank you to FarAway and MonInk for making me an Ambassador for this awesome Tattoo salon.

To answer the question I asked in the beginning… will I be getting more tattoos?
I guess now that I am an Ambassador for MonInk Tattoo salon… What do you think? We will definitely continue working together in more ways than this, that is for sure. 

But I do know one thing, It was a great experience and I am proud to represent my home and such a great artist as Monique. 

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The last day, Day 8 of Fashion week came and went. Malta Fashion Week 2019 is really over. Hard to believe. But I have to say, they sure know how to go out with a BANG!

One last show and a VIP Samsung MFW Closing party! Fabulous!

Ritienne Zammit – VIVA!

The final show on Malta Fashion week wa nothing less than Sensational!  

The show was by a local designer – Ritienne Zammit.
When we entered the venue, the first thing that stood out was the catwalk. The edges were decorated with white shredded paper, while the entrance onto the catwalk was decorated with Maltese traditional festa banners… hmmm.. What could that be about?
Ritienne’s collection is inspired by the Maltese feast, also known as the Festa. Festas celebrate patrons Saints of the villages and are a fun, traditional, religious and at the center of Maltese culture! The designer aims to celebrate the great lives and martyrdom of these Saints, as well as celebrating Maltese tradition and heritage. This collection is close to her heart and I am sure may can relate – being brought up in Malta, Festas are a big part of childhood, as well as the adult life…even if you don’t like them that much, trust me you cannot avoid them – you will definitely hear them – the fireworks and the banda! But who wouldn’t want to join in the Festa fun?
Viva explores devotion, admiration and support for the festa culture, turning it into a fashion statement and a couture look!

If you think that description sounds impressive… you should have seen the show itself.

I did not expect what I saw, so I was shook!! Shook in the best possible way!
The show started with a introductory video with impressive makeup and outfits, very conceptual. Then, before the show started, the sounds of the festa – Maltese fireworks filled Fort Saint Elmo, a sound all too common and familiar!

The first model that entered the runway, walked on with a dog, a beautiful Afghan Hound, if I am not mistaken! This was such a beautiful moment, the dog was so majestic and behaved so well, while it complimented the model so well! I love the prints on the material and the mix of these prints with other fabric – lace, mesh, organza, printed frills…accessories by Yana’s Jewellery and various props that the models used really brought the collection alive. These props included flowers, crowns and even a big hand held cross…like I wanna walk around the streets carrying my own cross too! Yas! The models also had SFX makeup on their hands, chest, faces which really brought the concept on saints and martyrdom forward into the spotlight!
The beautiful Stephanie Hodgkins, who is a quite the legend in the Maltese modelling scene, one of the best known models at the very least, walked down the runway as a model Madonna in a beautiful long gown, holding her child in her hands. It was quite a scene, such sweetness and love, it really left everyone gaping!

All of this did not take away from the clothes, the clothes were still the centerpiece of the collection and were absolutely beautiful – long dresses, short dresses, pantsuits all beautifully stitched and executed. Everything together created a show of quality, a show worthy of a day of it’s own at Malta Fashion Week! A worthy ending of this year’s Fashion week and a real Bang, and I don’t just mean the fireworks.
Ritienne Zammit brought the fort down with her VIVA! A true celebration of Malta and what we as Maltese and Malta as our country and culture are at the very core! What makes us who we are!

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The iconic voice of Mr Colin Fitz, whom we have been hearing and enjoying all Fashion week long, and for years now announced the end of the last show and the party that was to follow. Colin Fitz, a celebrated actor, radio and TV host and more, has been the voice of Malta Fashion week for a while now and it’s almost impossible to fathom one without the other!
I am also proud to often have Colin Fotz host some of my most acclaimed shows, namely the first two editions of “MalTease” at St James Cavalier.

After the show and a few drinks the Samsung MFW Closing party wa sin full swing! It was lots of fun and had all the top VIPs and influencers there, nominees and special guests there! Find some fabulous photos below!

One thing I have realised in the last 2 days of Fashion week that Since the launch of the 19th, till now we have spent 9 days together with many of the same people, we have turned looks every night, we had fun together, we networked and hung out, we socialized and experienced incredible fashion, which we then discussed… it was a bonding experience, at least for me in was, with some many wonderful, creative people and now, once this is over tomorrow night after the awards…I am going to miss them.
I am going to miss the atmosphere and the experience but mostly the people. It’s kind of like a theater production, when you work tightly with an amazing bunch of people and then part ways! Such bitter-sweet sorrow!

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The Fashion week crew did such an amazing job with Fashion Week at Fort Saint Elmo despite the rain, despite the weather, the wind and any difficulties that came their way, they did fantastically and I’d like to celebrate them with such a successful week +!!

BUT we’ve still got ONE MORE NIGHT!
See you tomorrow at the Malta Fashion week Awards at the iconic Triton Fountain!
Beyond excited!!

Stay Wicked and let’s Get Freaky! 😉

Yours,
Undine.

May the 28th marks day 7 of Malta Fashion week. A week of shows, a week of excitement, a week of looks and one whole week of Fashion.

Last night we were all in attendance, ready to feast on some fabulous foreign fashion – Serbia and France taking over the runway, to our eager delight. We are not done yet, Fort Saint Elmo is buzzing, lighting up our capital! I’ll never get tired of this place – the fort is beautiful and in my opinion the perfect setting for the biggest Fashion event on the Island.

Let’s get right into the Fashion, shall we?

Milica Trickovic (Serbia)

The first show of th night, to kick off Day 7 of an eventful week was Milica Trickovic from Serbia, who presented a collection called “Blessing”. Milica was inspired by Cristianity and the beauty of christian icons. With this show, the designer wanted to make a connection between modern art and Christianity with use of lace and feathers and extensive, intricate patchwork.

The designs are truly beautiful, the dresses are fun and fancy; a mix of short dresses full of fluffy feathers; to long tulle gowns, to rich fringe skirts and feathered skirts paired with a t-shirt with an icon on it. In fact, most of the pieces shown in this collection included icons of a saint or a Christian icon as a centerpiece. Lots of lace and patterned mesh with polka dots or lines… low cuts, bustiers, puffy sleeves, cheeky cut outs with mesh and a criss cross design… Wonderful designs, well executed and shown.

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Eymeric Francois (France)

Eymeric Francois from France is no strager to Malta Fashion week ad has graced our island with many visits over the last few years to show his beautiful work at Malta Fashion week. This year he is back with a collection which personally, took my breath away!

Straight out of Paris, Eymeric presented a collection called “Masquerade”, a glimpse into the dark aesthetic of a Venitian carnival. A celebration of masked beauty, a processio of gold and black art-pieces, rather than dresses. My jaw was on the florr for most of the show as I was mezmerised. Lace, tulle, chiffon, beading, rhinestones… the finest farbic, perfect execution and ot a stitch out of place to distract the onlooker from the fabulous outfits. Many looks either featured incredible, tight corsets or were in themselves corseted dresses…wow! I am in love with those corsets, anyone who knows me knows what a big part of my life corsets are, so that was a special pleasure and I also have a lot of appreciation for those laced into a tiny corset…it may be painful but damn, it looks so good!
I loved this show, from tight black suits and knee length dress, to huge, heavy, fabulous gowns with enormous skirts, long trains, tight lace giving peaks of skin and rhinestones aplenty! WOW! An amazing experiece.

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As for me, I had a look which may not be very fitting with the theme of the night but which I was pretty happy with. A silver bodysuit, laced up at the front, with chains sewn on by my mama LaVerve to create a chain skirt feel, fishnets underneath, platformed boots from “Current Mood Clothing”, pinned up, teased hair and cyber glasses. It was a sort of outerspace, fun, cyborg look!

Don’t worry though, I come in Peace!

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Just here to appreciate the Fashion and show some body!

Top picks? So many beautiful people! All the VIPs always look gorgeous, I love their olutfits!
But when I saw Sarah Zerafa in her dress, I just stared and said “Wow!” and she said |”Yes, I’m naked underneath!” … damn, that dress was really something!! Congrats to sarah for winning the trip to Serbia Fashion week!

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Tonight is the last show and the last night of this year’s Malta Fashion Week at Fort Saint Elmo.

Let’s make it count and see you on Friday at the Awards!

Stay Wicked and let’s Get Freaky! ;)Yours,
Undine.

Malta Fashion Week continues on into a new week, so if you think we had a blue Monday… you are wrong.The only blue thing about this Monday were those blue shorts in Parascandalo’s collection!
This was by far the busiest, buzziest day of Malta Fashion Week. The excitement was in the air, the expectation…two fantastic Maltese designers and a foreign designer from Argentina were presenting their new collections and we were there for it!

It felt like Fashion Week had been gaining momentum up to Day 6 and this was a culmination!

Most celebrities, influencers and many members of the general public were wearing Parascandalo and some Gabrielle Fenech in support of our local brands and to show off the incredible pieces! Stunners!
The best thing about all the shows we saw yesterday is that their designs are truly wearable, can be your fashionable street-wear any day but so catwalk worthy!

Without further adieu, let me tell you about the awe-inspiring collections we were lucky enough to witness yesterday!

Gabrielle Fenech – L’Amoureux

Gabrielle Fenech’s new collection is entitled “L’Amolureux” – the Lovers and is inspired by 6th card in a tarot deck. This card symbolises the beauty of communication and understanding within a human relationship and love (romantic and platonic). Gabrielle attempts to tap into the feelings of passion, sacredness and harmony with her collection by use of the material she uses, the textures, colours and design.
Generally I find that the Gabrielle Fenech brand is quite alternative at its core ad there have been collections that have included a lot of vinyl, PVC and the use of more alternative / fetishy fabric. This collection is slightly less clearly alternative. It feels more romantic, classy and soulful but keeping in with the brand and saying authentically “Gabrielle Fenech”. The introductory video gave an idea of something very sensual, romantic, artistic and feminine. The styling was great – all the models had “big” hair teased into a sort of “Queen of Hearts” look, the makeup was beautiful and the clothes… some glossy fabric, looking silky and soft to the touch; careful stitching and nicely fitted wearables; comfortable cottons, asymmetrical skirts and t-shirts with prints themed after the Lovers taros card. An interesting use of colours – still a lot of black and dark shades, but the collection also included brighter and bolder colours, like a pair of baby pink high waisted trousers with suspenders, one of which sensuously slipped off once the model reached the end of the catwalk!

I enjoyed the new collection. It’s incredibly important to re-invent ourselves and our art and Gabrielle did that. She gave us another side of her, still as beautiful as ever!

I kept thinking to myself “Yes, I’d so wear that” and I hope I will soon!

I caught up with Gabrielle after the show to get a comment and she told me she feels accomplished and relieved, that she’s happy everything turned out well and ever better than expected! And she should be proud! It was a fantastic way to kick off Day 6 of Malta Fashion Week!

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Ocantos (Argentina)

Octanos from Argentina was up next! Eduardo, the designer is apparently a man of ay talents – a lawyer, a painter and a designer. He is inspired by art and painting and in this collection entitled “Llama” he concentrated on creating wearables made out of sustainable material, such as the wool of the llama, an animal found in the North of Argentina! Ocantos uses natural dye for the wool colour and along with the wool Eduardo uses silk,and from the looks of it chiffon as well. The colours are bright but nothing too crazy, nice, strong colours – reds, oranges, pinks, greens and blues, as well as greys. The collection is not a summer one but rather look like it might be leaning towards Autumn or Spring looks with the use of scarves and coats, with a peak of the dresses or trousers, suits underneath, partially hidden.
I enjoyed the collection, the use of the wool and the natural materials in the collection, even through bright colours are not really my thing, the clothes looked great and cozy!

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Parascandalo (Eyeconic & Blindofld)

If there is any designer who has built a reputation for being Iconic, for being current, for being represented in the streetwear styles of the youth…it’s Parascandalo. Fresh, young, proudly Maltese…outstanding. When you see a Parascandalo design, you can immediately call it out, without having to know – the colours, the cuts, the fabric – we all remember last year’s collection clearly and can easily identify it in the streets. Parascandalo stays in the public eye all year long, his fashion worn by influencers and fashionable folks all around the island.

Last night Marco presented not 1, but 2 collections! The Eyeconic and the Blindfold. So let’s break it down!

We’ve been seeing teasers of the Eyeconic collection all over social media featuring familiar faces of Malta’s creatives and influencers who then appeared in the fantastic introductory video… it was fast paced and exciting, the music was great and set the vibes, the seats were all taken, Fort Saint Elmo was packed, we were at the edge of our seats, holding our breath…  and after the intro video, the music started, a pause before the first model came out which felt unbearably long until, YES, we finally got an eye-full of the Eyeconic collection!

Marco just has such a beautiful feeling for colours, the way th combines them, the materials.. It was all wonderful and ranged from a mesh top is a bra on top that looked like a pair of eyes, to a red fringed dress, to an asymmetrical layered skirt in white, green and blue…there was a bit of everything, a variety of colours, no holding back but somehow it all tied in together and made perfect sense. The beautiful dresses, akin to the one Sarah Zerafa wore, made of tulle and mesh…mermaid type skirt and a big piece of tulle in front, from the waist, cinched by a Parascandolo belt, all the way up past the decolletage and almost up the the face. Beautiful!

The Blindfold collection is autumn and winter (love you thinking ahead Marco) and the models walked to a song by the Maltese indie band Oxygen, who were in the intro video for this part of the show… I loooved their song Blindfold…a thought on the lines of “what came first, the egg or the chicken…or the collection or the song” did cross my mind but maybe they came about together… in any case, I love this sort of local collaboration and artists supporting each other’s talented work!

The Blindfold gave up a lot of zip up blazers, and jackets, gave us trousers and skirts with cool designs and prints on them, models fully covered in black mesh with eyes / symbols on them. This part of the collection was a lot darker and featured more black colours, which made my inner goth very happy. It gave me Blackcraft Cult vibes too, which is one of my favourite brands.. So you know I was there for this!! For me, so far, this was the collection of Fashion week.
Expectations for this show was high and it didn’t just live up to what we wanted, it beat out expectations to the pulp…there they stood, nervously while we walked past them and out of sight.

If you do not know of Parascandalo…I will just say this – You should.

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My look for the night was one of the first looks I came up with and one I am very very happy with! This look reflects my love for fetish fashion and my obsession with bondage!
The dress, found of the internet, is an artwork that has been turned into a clothing print and printed onto an A-line dress. I wanted this to be about the image and not the body…I paired the dress with a pair on thigh high red boots that I bound with black rope to give them that bondage element, a black faux leather jacket I had bought in Berlin during my August visit in Karl Marx Street and my hair – ponytail plat bound in red rope…the bad that happened to match everything – all this black and red I found while online shopping for fashion week and the whip…came in my bondage kitt I recently got… it all just came together and I couldn’t be more pleased. Plus the makeup and voila, one of my favourite looks for this year’s Malta fashion week.

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What did you think of my bondage look? I am obsessed with it!!!
Now that I have shown it off, this is going to be one of my favourite summer dresses!

I have to mention a couple of awesome people…although everyone turned looks and looked stunning, like…”how do ya’ll look so good every night ugh?”, I have to mention a few people in particular.

Most of the VIPs were wearing Parascandalo. Taryn Mamo Cefai wore such a cute jacket-dress from Parascandalo’s 2018 collection, I loved it. Tamara Webb and Sarah Zefara wore some of the most notable pieces of the new collection. So many people were in chokers and belts and t-shirts by Marco! Luke Brincat looked awesome and quite futuristic in a Gabrielle Fenech piece – LOVED it! I also love the style of MR Klaidas Vaitkus – just sooo cool every night from hair to toe! Finally, I loved Clinton Paul’s look… wow! A Vogue t-shirt and leather pants, fishnet on his face and a baseball cap backwards.. That stunner!

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I have no top picks, my top picks go to the brilliant designs on the runway!

Stay Wicked and let’s Get Freaky! ;)Yours,
Undine.

Day 5 of Malta Fashion week, we are more than half way through this wonderful and exciting journey! Despite the bad weather, the show is, the show must, the show will go on! The Malta Fashion Week team have been doing an amazing job keeping the place ready for action every single evening. Truly admirable! And Sunday night at Fort Saint Elmo was fantastic!

New Designers

The first show on Sunday was definitely one I was really looking forward to. New Designers is an chance to look into the future of Maltese fashion. To see what’s potentially to come and who these new faces are!

New Designers is a category that has been an on and off feature of Malta Fashion Week and I am so glad it’s part of the experience this year! It’s wonderful to present a opportunity, support and show what young creatives, design students and aspiring pros are producing.
There were a total of 10 new designers and it was a great pick – all different and interesting.
There were however a couple of stand outs! I loved the designs of Natasha Polidano: the fit was sooo right, the colours were vibrant, the textures were beautiful and captivating and made you want to reach out and touch them. The fabric of the dress flowed and moved beautiful in the wind… well done!
The second unforgettable performance of the evening was by Eversince (by Danyl Azzopardi) – he went all out and really used his time on the runways to create a performance piece – a quote appeared and was read out followed by an intro video on the Malta Fashion week screen as a clear foreboding on something different coming….and the to the sounds of a cool, rap tune, the models strutted his designs. Male and female designs, and the aesthetic was just so good, I personally loved it…not fitted but right, straps, lines, dungarees with the pants open on the sides; a oversized top with big sleeves with shorts… it was complete and branded. My personal favourite thing was when a model in a preppy looking top turned and had “Slaves Slaves Slaves” written on the back… I lived!

It was a pleasure to watch all of these new designers! It’s important to appreciate what might very well be the future of our Fashion!

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Sanja Design (Slovenia)

Sanja Design from Slovenia presented a collection called “Metamorphosis” which is inspired by the history of her hometown in her native Slovenia. The historical period specifically chosen was around 9 century BC, the transition from the Bronze into the Iron Age.

The designer likes to include natural materials into her fashion pieces and the designer aims to create unique fashion pieces that can be worn and compliment women of different shapes and sized, hence her pieces have many ways of overlapping and closing, curling around the body. Some pieces are rather casual, whilst some wearable are clearly made for an occasion. The fabric ranges from glossy metallic-y materials, to cotton, to hand woven details and accessories such as belts and bags.

There were no crazy colours but rather natural looking ones such as blacks, browns, mustard, greys and a few reds; a few prints of faces / sculptures harkening back to the prehistoric age Sanja’s designs portray; a lot of different cuts, asymmetry and layering, which was very creative. Finally, the collection featured handmade shows out of fabric and lacing which was an interesting touch. We are used to seeing heels on the runway but this was different. Everything about this collection was different, even the performance, with all the models on the stage at the very beginning with no music, dim lighting, just the designs and silence. It felt almost bohemian.

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Nilara.

“Alkebulan – The Garden of Eden” started off beautifully. “This is me” blasting through the speakers, getting the audience moving, setting the vibe. A beautiful gowned, feather adorned models walks out and stand on the catwalk in full glory in a spray painted Gold, feather look corset; a flower print flowing, long skirt and pheasant feathers. The slowly made her way down the runway. The onlookers stunned by this display of beauty. An almost triumphant start.

Then, suddenly, the music changes and the next model comes out in a fun and flirty, long but modern party dress – “A little party never killed nobody”… we agree and we are there for it!

And so it continued. The music kept changing but it was all great music, what a mix…and it kept the vibe going. The models strutted and the observers had fun, while taking in the designs. Gowns on the runway, two pieces on the runway. Big padded shapely shoulders, long beautiful coats and abstract jackets with unusual angles; colours; classy pencil skirts; sexy cuts and slits… Nilara is all about creating beautiful evening wear and dresses to impress and that was clear in this show.
At the end we got to see some of the designs again, all on the runway, with the designer, having a great time in a swarm of colours and shapes they had created!

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What a variety of shows Day 5 of Malta Fashion week brought us – another interesting day.

It was also an interesting and experimental day for me.
I am taking Fashion Week as a chance to express myself and to do something different, and also try something new. I am always all about femininity, sensuality, about showing body-ady and I like to turn beauty looks or freaky and dark looks, I like to have a touch of fetish and alt fashion always, yet somehow slightly burlesque. I knew Sunday was about Gowns and I have a lot of gowns… but I didn’t want to do what was expected.
My look for Day 5 of Fashion Week was not a beauty look (and in no way a protest) but rather a conceptual look and a personal experiment.

So since everyone would be wearing a gown, I decided to wear a Suit. And namely my suit for one of my newest routines “Black and Gold”. This suit consists of a pair of tear away trousers fully rhinestone in gold and bronze stones and a rhinestone suit jacket, with nothing else underneath. To make myself look flat was a feat and painful but oh, how we love to suffer for our art! I paired the suit with black chunky platform heels, slicked my hair back…

A few weeks ago I was thinking of my looks and mostly inspired by the huge trend of drag kinging in the Paris burlesque community, I decided it would be a great opportunity to go all the way. And I did. Why the hell not. I want to try everything once and this would be the day.
So my make up consisted of male like eyebrows, a little moustache and a beard, as well as I could manage and well… here is the result.

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I have to say that I make a very mediocre looking dude and I wouldn’t look at myself twice… but I’m glad I tried it out, I’m pretty happy with this look and the feedback was pretty positive!
I wanted to do something different and I did.

What are your thoughts?

My top picks of the night were the beautiful Sarah Zerafa who looking like she was dripping rose petals in her Nilara dress and Victoria in a beautiful black gown and her hair was style in a way that a few curls were elegantly curled and curved to form a lovely design on her face. It gave me slight goth vibes, must be why I liked it so much! I will never get tired of looking at Tamara Webb and her beautiful dresses… she looked simply amazing in a low cut black dress with a fluffy tulle skirt. The biggest dress award goes to Maya (the MUA), she had a dress which had the biggest tulle skirt i red and black, very nice! Luke Brincat and Jeandor sticking to their own personal styles, no matter the day, I love them so much for that! Gaia Cauchi looked stunning wearing a brightly coloured purple and red gown and a beautiful sparkly rhinestones choker necklace, which glittered from across the runway, catching everyone’s eye. Taryn Mamo Cefai was giving me boss babe vibes in a highlighter pink suit jacket and shorts, so cute and sexy and looks amazing with her pink curls!

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Sarah Zerafa and her Nilara dress was my favourite look of the night. I just looove that deep red open back, petal gown, her lipstick perfectly matching… stunner!!

That’s all from me for today, more tomorrow when we review Day 6 of Malta Fashion Week!

PS: I am working on videos but that might take a while longer. There are only so many hours in a day!

Stay Wicked and let’s Get Freaky! 😉

Yours,
Undine.